Receive the latest real-estate updates in your inbox

International law firm Proskauer Rose has sealed its deal for a big chunk of office space in the brand new 11 Times Square tower, meaning developer SJP Properties won't have to shell out any more cash for new lettering.

Steve Cuozzo's take on the matter should give the World Trade Center a confidence boost: "The deal powerfully affirmed that newly minted, state-of-the-art office space in Manhattan rarely sits empty for long." Meanwhile, at the Eighth Avenue site, the construction shed is down and the 40-story building is showing off its glassy face.

Scaffolding that's been hiding the corporate entrance at West 41st Street and Eighth Avenue is gone, and crews are busy laying the sidewalk leading to the lobby. Outside, angled stone bollards protect three stories of finned load-bearing cast glass panels that wrap around the entryway. The lobby has a series of metal mobiles from artist Tim Prentice hanging from its 38-foot-high ceiling. Along the wall of glass facing the New York Times Tower, hand-chiseled marble columns run the length of the lobby opposite elevator bays and the reception desk, where security reigns supreme.

Still to come at the tower are some showier items: For the retail space a whale of a fish tank is said to be in the works, and nestled above 42nd Street will be a circling globe of lights and advertecture. The most anticipated amenity for many is a much-appreciated new subway entrance on the southwest east corner of 42nd Street and Eighth Avenue, which will save commuters the never-ending joy of entering the Port Authority Bus Terminal across the street.